Tide-power apparatus.



NVENTUH TTUHNEYS PATENTED FEB. 28, 1905. W. GUINDON. TIDE POWERPPARATUS.

APPLICATION l-ILED 1350,20, 1904.

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Viran STATES :Patented February 28, 1905.

PATnN trice.

TllDE-'FOWER FPAHTUS.

SltIECIIIIEIIThk'JIION forming part of Letters Patent No. 783,860, dated February 2B, 1905.

Application filed December 20, 1904. Serial No. 237,619.

To L7/Z whom ift 'litany concern:

Be it known that i, WrLLIAM GUINDON, a citizen of the United States, residing at New York, in the county of New York and State of New York, have invented certain new and useful improvements in Tide-Power Apparatus, of which the following isa specilication, such as will enable those skilled in the art to which it appertains to make and use the same.

The object of this invention is to provide an apparatus whereby the rise and fall of the tide either of the sea, river, or tributary streams may be utilized to produce power for the operation of machinery of various kinds and classes or for use in Ventilating dwellings, hospitals, factories, and the like removed from the location of said apparatus, a further object being' to provide an apparatus of this class which insures the continual operation of machinery connected therewith or of continuous ventilation in a building' with which it may be connected, these results being' accomplished both in the rise and fall of the tide at the point at which my apparatus is located, and a still further object being to provide such an apparatus which is simple in construction and operation and which requires very little attention when in operation and which is very inexpensive in the installation thereof as well as in the operation thereof; and with-these and other objects in view my invention consists of a tid e-power apparatus, as hereinafter described and claimed.

My invention is fully disclosed in the following specification, of which the accompanying drawing forms a part, and in which suitable reference characters are used to designate the various parts thereof.

ln the drawing forming part of this specitication I have shown three tanks e, I), and c, preferably composed of steel or iron and closed on their sides and tops, and, as shown in the drawing, the tanks a, b, and c are connected with each other adjacent to the bottom thereof by means of a passage d, and beneath the passage Z I place concrete, stone, iron, or other suitable material, as shown at d, for the purpose of securely anchoring` the tanks e, and c. Within each of the tanks .I place a movable bottom e, and these bottoms are adapted to be forced upwardly by the rise of the tide, and the tanks are adapted to bc par tially submerged at low water, the height of said water at its lowest point with reference to the tanks u., and c being indicated at a: and high water being indicated approximately at y. and each of the tanks a., and c is provided with a valve ai, 02, and c, respectively, which communicate with the corresponding tank and with the outer air, the object of the valves afi, 7), and c being' to admit air to the tanks u, and c when the movable bottoms c are in their lowest positions, and when the bottoms e are forced upwardly the air in each of the tanks u., and c is compressed, as will be readily understood.

Communicating with each of the tanks u), and c are pipes ai", b3, and c3, respectively, each of which is connected with a direct pipe f, and said pipes are controlled by means of valves 6', 7)", and c", and also communicating' with the tanks a., L, and c are pipes r/XV, 0"", and c5, each of which is connected with a returnpipe g, and said last-named pipes are provided each with a valve, asY shown at (1.", 7), and c", and the direct pipe f is connected with an engine adal'ited to be operated by compressed air in the usual or any desired manner, said engine not being' shown in the drztwing, as it forms no part of this invention, and the return-pipe (y is adapted to be connected with said engine at the exl'iaust-point thereof, the reasons for which will be hereinafter explained.

Supposing the tide to be at low water mark, as indicated at .fr on the drawing, and all of the valves shown and described to be closed, and when the parts are in this position and the tide commences to rise the bottoms c are forced upwardly, compressing the air in each of the tanks e, and c, and if at this time the valve It" be opened, comnmnicating the pipe fr. with the direct pipcf, the engine connected with said direct pipcj' is operated by means of the air in the tanks u., and e, and this operation continues until the pressure of air in the tank a is too slight for the ope 'ation of the engine, at which time the valve may be opened, thereby communicating' the pipe 7) with the pipe j" and the IOO cede at high-water mark, as shown at the valves at* L* and c* are successivelv closed in the o'rder named, and the valve a is opened,

thereby communicating the pipe al with the return-pipe g and with the exhaust of the engine, and when the tide falls the bottoms e, being of suflicient weight to accomplish the result desired, are also lowered, thereby forming a vacuum in each of the tanks a, 7), and c, and the air rushing through the engine on its way to the tank t operates said engine with substantially the same poweras in the operation last described, and the valves Z1 and c are adapted to be consecutively'opened to the return-pipe g in order to communicate the corresponding tanks with the engine, and the air rushing through to these tanks, because of the vacuum therein, continues the operation of the engine.

If my apparatus is intended for use in ventilating, the direct pipe f may be connected with one side of the building' to be ventilated and the return-pipe f/ with the other side thereof, and the compressed air rushing' through the direct pipe 'f from the tank a, 7J, or c in communication therewith ventilates said building in the rise of the tide, and when the tide falls the valves in communication with the direct pipef are closed and the valves of the return-pipe g are consecutively opened, as hereinbcfore described, and this causes a suction of air through the building being' ventilated.

It will be apparent that any number of tanks a, L, and 0 may be employed, each of which will be provided with a direct pipe and a valve therefor in communication with the pipe f and also with the return-pipe and valve therefor in communication with the retu rn-pipe g, and each of the tanks employed is adapted to be consecutively communicated with the pipe f or g corresponding to the rise or fall of the tide, and the greater the number of tanks employed of the same capacity thc greater the amount of air compressed and consequent increased duration of operation in each movement of the tide results, and it will also be understood that the tanks c, b, and c instead of being' anchored as described may be mounted on firm piles or in any other suitable manner in order to render them immovable and able to resist the force of the tide and are made of sulicient strength to 'withstand the pressure of the air therein when compressed, and various other modifications of and changes in the construction herein i shown and described may be made without departing from the spirit of my invention or sacrificing its advantages. n

Having fullydescribed my invention, what I claim as new, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is4

l. A tide-power apparatus, comprising a plurality of tanks adapted to be anchored in a submerged position in tide-water, a vertically-movable bottom in each of said tanks, a direct pipe in communication with each of said tanks, a return-pipe in communication with each of said tanks, and valves between said pipes and said tanks controlling said com-v munication, substantially as shown and de scribed.

2. A tide-power apparatus, comprising a plurality of tanks adapted to be anchored in a submerged position in tide-water, a vertically-movable bottom in each of said tanks, a direct pipe in communication with each of said tanks, a return-pipe in communication with each of said tanks, and valves between said pipes and said tanks controlling said com munication,l and supplemental valves communicating each of said tanks with the outer air, substantially as shown and described.

3. Anapparatus of the class described, comprising a plurality of tanks adapted to be partially submerged in tide-water and anchored therein, a movable bottom in each of said tanks, a direct pipe, supplemental pipes connecting said direct pipe with each of said tanks, a valve in each of said supplemental pipes, a return-pipe, supplemental pipes connecting said return-pipe with each of said tanks, a valve in each of said last-named supplemental pipes, and a valve communicating' each of said tanks with the outer air, substantially as shown and described.

4. In an apparatus of the class described, a plurality of tanks adapted to be anchored in a submerged position in tide-water, a movable bottom in each of said tanks, said movable bottoms serving to compress the air in said tanks in the rise of the tide, devices for communicating each of said tanks with a point of operation for said compressed air, said movable bottoms serving also to create a vacuum in each of said tanks in the fall of said tide, devices connected with each of said -tanks for communicating them consecutively with the point of operation whereby said operation results through the vacuum caused in said tanks, substantially as shown and described.

In testimony that I claim the foregoing as my invention I have signed my name, in presence of the subscribing' witnesses, this 19th day of December', 1904.

TILLIAM GUINDON.

Iitnessesz F. A. STEWART, C. J. KLEIN,

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